International Club Rugby New International Tournament for June 2017

[Mint Condition]

This sounds like a good idea to me.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/w...ure-june-revenue/story-e6frf55l-1226337675043

Australian Rugby Union looking at hosting international tournament in 2017 to secure June revenue
By Iain Payten, The Daily Telegraph

Australia could host an international tournament in 2017 featuring as many as eight teams, including the likes of Japan, the United States and Pacific Island sides.

The invitational competition is being contemplated by the Australian Rugby Union in a bid to ensure the Test window of June five years hence is kept exciting despite most tier one nations being unavailable.

The British and Irish Lions will be touring New Zealand in 2017, and with France scheduled to tour South Africa for a three-Test series, the best talent of the European teams will be tied up.

The Wallabies have Italy and Scotland penciled into the future tour schedule but the ARU would face the prospect of dwindling revenue playing either in a multi-Test format.

Discussions have been held, therefore, about bringing lesser-ranked teams to play against the Wallabies and each other in a mini-tournament.

Planning is still in an embryonic stage but the tournament could feature three, four or as many as two pools of four teams, with round-robins, semi-finals and a final to be played over a four-week period.

Scotland - who usually do not supply a huge amount of players to the Lions - and Italy would be involved, and the rest of the teams could be made up of tier nations who've been crowd favourites at Rugby World Cups, but rarely get any international exposure between tournaments.

Japan (coached by Eddie Jones) are seen as a natural fit for the 2017 tournament just two years out from the first World Cup in Asia, and there would also be a big push for Pacific Island representation given the ARU's initiatives to help grow the game in Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. There is even potential for an emerging tier two nation like Georgia or Russia to join in.

The idea of staging double-headers as big events has been discussed, to encourage fans to buy tickets to games they might not otherwise attend.

Staged after the current broadcast deal expires in 2015, the ARU could potentially even attract interest from expanding markets like Japan and the US to buy TV rights.

Like a World Cup, games would also be held across the country and at non-traditional Test venues, such as the refurbished Adelaide Oval. ARU boss John O'Neill recently committed to playing a "major Test" in Adelaide in 2014 before revealing the 2017 tournament plans.

"It is not a once-off. We're going to have a tournament style competition in 2017, and Adelaide will feature in our plans around that tournament as well," he said.

Planning for a 2017 tournament has to occur this year in order to lock in participants.

An ARU spokesman confirmed: "We are committed to developing our competition schedule for the 2017 season and while no firm plans are in place we are exploring numerous options to provide world class rugby."